In Christmas Spirit
by Callnowia
Summary: [Oneshot AxH] A short Christmas story set... during Christmas. My first contribution to the Hey Arnold! fandom and hopefully not my last. Yes I know it's summer! ...And the award for best summary goes to moi.


_Summary:_ Mr Simmons' fifth grade class are assigned to decorations of the Yule Ball that is to be held later that night. Arnold  
and Helga are paired up as usually and decides so set up a truce for the sake of the Christmas spirit... however, how far will  
the truce really take them?

_Setting:_ I suppose since it's Christmas and they're now in fifth grade, it's... during Christmas in the fifth grade. :P Obviously  
after The Movie and the April Fool's Day episode. I hope that gives you some idea of the circumstances and... um, all that.

_Author's Note:_ Hehe... yeah, hey there. First Hey Arnold! I story ever wrote first now getting the courage to actually post it.  
To say I'm a little conscious about my writing would be an understatement, I'm terrified of being judged by my writing, but  
don't let that stop you from giving me some constructive criticism. My English gets a little messy here and there becauce I am  
Swedish and I also suffer from Asperger Syndrom. I hope you'll enjoy it anyways! Oh, and please R&R. Ciao

_Disclaimer:_ Hey Arnold! isn't mine, and I don't want it. So stop calling me already, jeesh!

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_In Christmas Spirit_

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Snowflakes were dancing outside P.S. 118, covering the ground in a light blanket that was sure to be gone once the sun came  
out from behind the clouds again. It was the last day of school before Christmas vacation and the night of the Yule Ball the  
school would be holding for the fourth through sixth graders, something they were all anticipating.  
Technically the school had already ended, but there were still kids in the school, preparations to be made, hors d'oeuvres and  
punch to be put on the tables, chairs to be dragged and positioned against the walls, Christmas spirit to be set.

Mr Simmons' class had been assigned to the task of decorating the gym for the nightly event and the children had all been  
paired up to make it easier. Rhonda was having a nightmare with Curly as her so called "assistant" since he would time and  
time again tear down their decorations, making her put it back up again while he stole a whiff of her hair.  
On the other side of the hall Sid and Stinky were having problems with the big red ribbons that were supposed to hang all  
around the walls of the gym. Stinky would hang his too high and Sid would hang his too low. Harold and Eugene were making  
disasters of their own by the tables. Eugene was constantly tripping over the big ribbons that were not yet put up but lying  
on the floor, breaking one table in the process while Harold couldn't keep himself from going through the refreshments.  
Phoebe and Gerald were one of the few couples who actually did something productive along with Peapod and Park, Robert  
and Nadine, Sheena and Iggy, Lila and Brainy and the rest.

However there was one couple that was louder than the rest, having been put in a "special" position of the gym by Mr  
Simmons so that they wouldn't disturb the others, and partially to make the two of them perhaps get along a little. It was a  
risky attempt however, seeing as both of them thought the other was out to kill them from their high post.

"Criminy, football head!" Helga exclaimed, wobbling as she managed to attatch another Christmas ball to the ribbon they had  
managed to get up above the inside of the entrance of the gym by some kind of miracle. "If you want to see me fall and break  
my leg so badly, why don't you just push me and get it over with!"

"Helga..." Arnold groaned for the umpteenth time that afternoon. The quarreling was growing a bit weary, and he could only  
take so much.

"Yeah, yeah, save your breath..." She said a little softer, realizing that maybe, just maybe she was beeing a little hard on him.

They were standing quite high up in the gym, a broad ladder had been placed and parted in front of the entrance to the gym,  
big enough to hold the two of them, albeit barely, and a box of Christmas decorations placed in between them. Helga was  
cursing her lenght as she swayed now and then giving herself little heart attacks, and being so close to her love didn't help  
either. Now and then she would leave this world and start daydreaming about how Arnold would save her from falling, holding  
her in his arms, their eyes meeting, and...

"Helga?"

She snapped back to reality, realizing she was doing it again. "Wh-what..." she blinked a little confused as Arnold came into  
focus, an immidiate scowl appearing on her face. "What do you want, Arnold-o?" she spat at him.

Arnold had a soft, slightly sad expression on his face as he reached for another ball and attatched it on the ribbon on his side  
above the door frame. Helga's features softened a little as well upon seeing this and she turned around to copy his actions on  
her own side.

"Why can't you just get along with me for once?" he finally asked, not turning to look at her but continuing to decorate.

"Wh-why would I-"

"Since it seems to be our destiny," Arnold interrupted her and her heart skipped a beat upon hearing 'our destiny'.  
"to be paired up together during these assignments, I mean." Helga frowned at that. "Why not just accept it and put our  
differences aside? Maybe even..." he paused to fish for words "...a truce?"

Helga felt her tough attitude falter a little as he turned and looked right into her eyes. Feeling like he'd pierced her very soul  
she quickly averted her eyes to the box between them, fumbling around with her hand, blindly looking for another ball.

"A-a truce?" she stuttered trying to mock the word but failing miserably.

"Yeah." Arnold nodded. "We can say it's in the spirit of Christmas."

Helga contemplated on this for a few seconds. A truce with her love? On the night of the Yule Ball? _This could turn out pretty  
good_, she thought, a small smile developing on her lips. Saying it was for the sake of Christman spirit was also a great cover  
up for her to finally be nice to Arnold without the bark and no bite routine that was their daily life.

"Hmph." she scoffed and Arnold looked worried for a second. "I suppose... whatever floats your boat." she smiled.

Arnold smiled at that as well and for the fact that she hadn't added a mean nickname at the end. He knew Helga could be  
capable of acting civilized with him, you just had to butter her up a little. And giving her such a good excuse prooved to be perfect.

"So..." Helga began, coughing a little, trying to start up a conversation. "You're taking Miss Per- I mean, Lila tonight?"

"Pfft!" Arnold let out and almost laughed as he rolled his eyes, startling Helga a little.  
"Yeah right, as if she'd ever give me the light of the day."

"So you finally realized that, huh." she said as she grabbed another Christmas ball and hung it up on her side of the doorway.  
"When did that happen?"

"Long time ago, Helga. Long time ago." he said, surprised at how easily he could talk with Helga once he loosened her up a little.  
The conversation also made him think of that evening on Gerald's stoop with Timberly when he first realized that Lila was  
never going to _like _like him like he _liked_ liked her. He had to get over her, and so he did.  
"I guess she was way out of my leage, uh, _is_."

"More like the other way around." Helga mumbled to herself and rolled her eyes.

"What?" he asked her, although he had heard perfectly well what she had said.

"Uh..." her eyes widened a little. She didn't know she had said it out loud. "Um... I meant, it's just-" she dropped the Christmas  
ball she was holding as it fell down and hit Mr Simmons right on the head. He looked up through the ladder at the two of them  
but decided to let it be. Helga didn't notice.

"Thanks, Helga." he said sincerily, interrupting her once more. He didn't want her to take that one back or try to dodge her  
way out of it. Not again. His thoughts drifted back to the FTi incident and the aftermaths. He was most to blame for her taking  
that back, and he hated himself for it. Maybe they wouldn't be arch-nemesis if he'd let her stick to what she'd said that day,  
maybe they would be friends and she wouldn't have to put up such a tough front all the time. _Maybe_.

"No problem, hair b- Arnold." she said in what seemed like a whisper.

Arnold sighed, glancing at Helga. "Why can't you be like this all the time?" he said those inevitable words Helga knew he would  
say sooner or later. She rolled her eyes and Arnold noticed this. "What?"

"Why do you have to say that every the time?"

"Because I think it'd be... nice." he said carefully, noticing the annoyance in her voice.

"I am who I am." she said matter of factly. "Everyone can't be saints like you and Miss Perfect, so suck it up. I agreed on this  
truce thing in the 'spirit of Christmas' but don't go around thinking I'll just ditch half of who I am because of that." she felt  
her anger coming on a little. She tried her best to let it subside, but that wouldn't be Helga in her eyes.  
"I mean, criminy, Arnold! I'm not exactly feeling up to giving one side of me away to someone when they don't even like the  
rest of me in the first place!" she turned to him and practically yelled, her face flushed, throwing her arms up in the air.

Arnold's eyes widened a little and he looked away. "I... didn't mean it like that, I-"

"Whatever..." she shook her head, feeling slightly embarrassed about what she had said. "Forget about it, football head."

And with that said silence ensued. They continued hanging up decorations, not caring about the fact that they were severely  
over-doing it. They were really just waiting for one of them to speak up and break the silence. But both being afraid that  
they'd start fighting again they kept to their thoughts instead.

_Why did I have to say all that?_ Helga scolded herself. She had basically told Arnold that she wanted him to like her. But then  
again, it was true. She stopped decorating for a second and just stood there thinking for a while, wondering what she should  
say to him now. Maybe she should apologize for raising her voice in the middle of their truce.  
She drew a sigh and cursed herself inwardly for being such an idiot around the one she cared for the most. But one part of  
her knew she was right. Arnold might've been right about her kind and gentle side, but she was still Helga the bully. The  
tough side of her was and would always be a part of her, and she couldn't change that, not even for him.

Arnold glanced over at Helga and frowned when he saw the sad expression on her face. She was holding a Christman ball,  
fidgeting with it in her hands as she looked at its glittery surface lost in thought. He scratched the back of his neck trying to  
come up with something to say. He couldn't really blame her for the outburst. She was right. In truth he really did like the  
feisty part of Helga, the one that stood up for herself and her friends... it just took away so much spotlight from her other  
sides, and it saddened him. How often hadn't he heard the others badtalk her behind her back and he had to stand up for  
her? He never hesitated to tell the others that she wasn't as bad as she seemed, but it still fell on deaf ears. If only she'd  
show the others her sweet side, just once, he'd be happy.  
He drew an even deeper sigh than Helga. Realizing he should be decorating he reached into the box, rummaging around in it  
abscent-mindedly. They had nearly emptied it so he grabbed the first best thing. The texture and shape felt a little odd. But  
when looking down at the green, red and white item in his hands he smiled a smug smile. _Perfect_.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Arnold hang something from the doorframe a little closer to her than what he should  
have. But it was in the middle and not technically on her side, so she figured it didn't matter. She hung up the ball she'd been  
holding and bent down to get another one. However, reaching inside the box she found Arnold doing the same thing and their  
hands met. He forcefully placed his on top of hers, taking a hold of it and she looked up.

She was standing face to face with Arnold, a smile on his face that felt unsettling. Her heart was already trying to leap out of  
her chest feeling her hand in his, and as she turned around and looked at the item Arnold had hung up just a second ago she  
felt it stop, as did the rest of the world.

The mistletoe turned slightly, caught in the ventilation of the room, hanging from a thin string. The green plastic leaves dusty  
from lying in a box for so long and the white pearls depicting the flowers slightly discolored by the lurid light of the evening  
sun that came flooding in through the windows on the doors.

She turned back to that heartaching smile.

"Merry Christmas, Helga." he said in an apologetic way and swiftly before anyone of them had a chance to really react he  
pressed his lips against hers in a short sweet kiss. She swore she could hear angels sing.

Breaking apart after what seemed like an eternity but was in fact only a second or two, they gazed into each other's eyes,  
enjoying that particular moment right before embarrassment would set in.

"Now that's what I call Christmas spirit!" came a voice from down below.

Arnold and Helga broke out of their moment and immidiately looked up, then down to the people on the floor, their faces red  
and their hands snatched away from one another.

Mr Simmons, the possessor of the voice was smiling brightly at his two students as he held his hands together and sighed. All  
the others inside the gym however, who had looked up at the sound of their teacher's voice were staring at the two blondes  
with either apalled, terrified, disgusted and not to say shocked expressions on their faces.

As if on cue Helga's tough front came on within seconds as she turned around and ripped the mistletoe off the door frame  
and threw it, hitting Mr Simmons on the head for the second time of the day.

"Don't you have anything better to do, geekbaits?" She yelled at them and turned back to her task of hanging up the  
decorations, her cheeks almost glowing. She would've threatened them with Ol' Betsy, but the blissful state, although  
embarrassed beyond comprehension, kept her from doing so.

Most of the students, still in shock by the scene that had just played out before them shook their heads as if they must've  
dreamt it. Some told each other that it was because of the mistletoe and nothing else. Why would Arnold kiss the school bully  
anyways? There were surely a thousand explanations.

After everyone had gone back to their assignments, including Arnold and Helga, Arnold turned to Helga who was still sporting  
a slowly deteriorating blush, picking the excess decorations off to hang it somewhere else. He cursed himself playfully on the  
inside for what he was about to say, but decided it was for the best.

"So..." he cleared his throat a little. "All in Christmas spirit, then?"

"All for the _sake_ of Christmas spirit, football head."

They smiled.

_The End_

---

Okay, what the hell, a Christmas story in July? Well, Yule... July, get it? Ugh I don't know. I was high on penicillin and painkillers  
when I wrote this thing. Damn ear infection. I wrote this at 3 am, so I'm sorry if it lacks a lot of things... such as a story.  
I just wanted to write something short and sweet. Ahh... okay I will post this now. I won't be such a chicken... -clicks- Done. Ahh!


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